Rattan composition and diversity assessment in tropical rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia for conservation

Rattan is one of the most valuable non-wood forest products and in recent years is threatened by extensive harvests as well as land clearing. Meanwhile, the role of edaphic and climatic factors affecting rattan population diversity and composition in Malaysia remains almost unexplored. With an aim to associate edaphic and climatic properties with rattan diversity and composition, a total of 20 study sites were explored in Peninsular Malaysia. Three transect belt lines were established measuring 100 m × 20 m in each study site. Temengor Park recorded significantly highest rattan species diversity (H′ = 2.74) however, Royal Belum State Park recorded highest number of rattan species richness with 21 species. This study revealed that rattan species richness and abundance were significantly affected by high disturbance rate, light intensities and relative humidity. In terms of soil physico-chemical properties, the variables which greatly influencing rattan abundance and distribution were soil moisture content, soil pH, soil bulk density, concentration of potassium (K) and calcium (Ca). These findings reflect the variation of forest types and ecological conditions across various locations in Peninsular Malaysia, which covers lowland and highland areas, coastal forests as well as undisturbed and protected forests. Most rattans do well in forested habitats nearby watersides and regions with equally distributed precipitation. Thus, protection of low land rainforest should be given higher priority for the sustainable management of rattan diversity.